


hear my heart (with your stethescope)

by CaptainKittah



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bucky Barnes as Captain America, M/M, Nurse Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 19:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15322440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainKittah/pseuds/CaptainKittah
Summary: Bucky’s been in hospitals sometimes, but with the serum he doesn’t need much medical attention anymore. That is, until a small nurse captures his eye with his sharp wit and dry humor.





	hear my heart (with your stethescope)

**Author's Note:**

> listen i’m trash
> 
> you can talk to me about this @jamesbnrnes on tumblr
> 
> love u all

Bucky really didn’t mean to end up in the hospital. Honestly, he didn’t. But as soon as the building was about to collapse, and he saw those scared kids, he knew he had to act. It ended up with his head injured, but the kids were safe and that’s all that mattered, right? He has a soft spot for them, so sue him, especially since one of them had such a striking resemblance to Becca and he couldn’t help but feel a tug at his heart as he remembered how long it’s been since they’ve talked.

“Mr. Barnes?” The cute nurse, Steve was his name, called. Bucky stood up entirely too fast, only to have Natasha push him back down and then slowly help him up. It was nice to know that she had his back at all times. “S’okay, you don’t gotta move too far. Let me just show you to your room, okay?” 

“He has a head injury,” Natasha shot a glance to Bucky, who smiled sheepishly. “Will a doctor be in soon? Someone who won’t disclose anything?”

“Dr. Brahm should be in about fifteen minutes. She’s just finishing up something with another patient. I’ll be here to take the vitals, though. Don’t worry, I won’t disclose any information of Mr. Barnes’ to the public, Ms. Romanoff.” Bucky liked him already. He was straight to the point, and his glasses were hanging off of his nose in such a way that had him pushing it up constantly. As Steve moved closer, he could see the freckles lining across his cheeks, and he knew he couldn’t help the dazed smile as he tried to count each and every one of them.

“Did you know...” Bucky winced when a bright light was shined in his eyes, looking away before Steve gently tilted his chin back towards him and looked again. “That pupils dilate when you’re in a state of arousal? It’s not even a specific type of arousal, but as soon as your senses are alarmed, your body follows through and that’s really cool. But it also does it when you like someone, so you can take more into it. I dig that.” I dig that. Bucky did not seriously say that to the cute nurse, especially not when he has his own degree in this field, but he can’t help rattling off facts to keep his blush at bay.

Natasha snorts from the other side of the room. Bucky blatantly ignores her as Steve doesn’t respond, but he likes the fact that he can tell his skin warmed up from his not-so-subtle flirting.

“Although, because I have a head injury, I know that’s another reason they’re dilated. Not to say that I don’t find you cute! I do, but,” He stops talking as soon as he realizes what he said, and shakes his head, making him wince.

“Mr. Barnes,” Steve pauses, furrowing his brows. “I—“

“Bucky.” He tries to show his prettiest smile, but it comes out lopsided and weird. Steve seems charmed enough by it anyway.

“Bucky.” Steve repeats, adjusting his glasses. “I would really prefer to have you not say something that you can potentially regret while having a head injury, and if you’d like to remember this, I would suggest you stop moving so the light doesn’t hurt as bad as you’re trying to make it seem like it doesn’t. I’ll be back after Dr. Brahm checks you out for your official diagnosis, but...” He shifts, looking slightly embarrassed. “It’s not often someone cute flirts with me. Come see me after my shift? It ends at ten. And we can go out for dinner at one of those twenty-four hour diners.”

Bucky is both befuddled and glad that his awkward flirting won over the small nurse with a cute smile. He nods eagerly, thanking the serum that it doesn’t hurt as much as it first did, before chilling it down.

“He’ll be there,” Natasha, the goddess she is, adds for him. “And he’ll buy. He wanted to ask you first, so he won’t take anything less than being able to pay for the dinner. It’s his thing, if you will.”

“Thanks.” Steve says awkwardly, and with a moment of clarity, Bucky realizes that he’s been asked out on a date. He grins, already feeling a lot better than when he first came into the hospital with Natasha, and thanks the Gods (more specifically, Thor, to not undo his good luck) for his unfortunate incident turning into something amazing.

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Pay, that is.” They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Bucky realizes that his vitals were already taken as he was stricken with awe over Steve’s features, and obviously as the warm doctor greeted him, she already knew who he was and how his vitals must match up.

“Hello, Mr. Barnes. Steve, Mr. Zimmers needs his papers in the other room. Sorry about the wait,” She smiles at Bucky, dimpled cheeks making him relax the slightest bit. “I’m Dr. Isabelle Brahm, as you can tell. It’s nice to meet you, I see you’ve come in due to a head injury?”

“Yeah, the serum usually takes care of that,” He shrugs, looking at her with a tinge of disappointment that his cute nurse was whisked away. “This one took a bit longer. I don’t need an x-ray or anything, do I?”

Dr. Brahm laughs kindly, her eyes squinting a bit the same way Bucky’s mom did whenever she found something too funny. Bucky immediately feels an attachment to her.

“No, Mr. Barnes. Just the fact that your pupils are already back to their normal size, you’re not wincing at the light anymore, I doubt you’ll have much trouble getting back to going outside. However, I want to stitch up that wound above your left brow, since that’s too deep and your body may reject this after a while, but it’s better to close it now than leave it open to infections.” She holds a needle in her gloved hands, thread so thin it’s practically invisible. Bucky swallows hard and feels Natasha squeeze his hand, having snuck beside him as soon as she heard the word ‘stitch’. 

It’s over quickly. Dr. Brahm instructs him to not make too expressive of facial movements, risking the stitching to pop open, and he nods while smiling as she shakes his hand and leaves the room. She’s nice, he muses, he trusts her. Even with the sterile white of the hospital and the cold, hard chair against his back, there’s something there that makes him feel at ease. Natasha’s back to her corner, watching him carefully but smiling nonetheless.

“You’re a hoot, Barnes,” She intones, biting back a grin. “First you flirt with the cute nurse and talk about your pupils dilating, and now you’re gonna have a date with him looking like Frankenstein’s Monster ran over by four trains.”

“I look like a hot zombie, thank you,” Bucky snarks, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless. “Thanks again for taking me here, Natalia.”

“Don’t sweat it. You owe me, large pizza with mushrooms and olives, and a strawberry fanta to go with that.” Natasha hums, before nodding to the door. “Cute nurse Steve will be coming back soon.”

As if on cue, Steve walks through the door, pushing up his large, black rimmed glasses. His baby blues look huge with them, and Bucky feels his body ache with the want to brush aside his bangs that are starting to fall in his face and push those glasses up. Okay, maybe he can’t blame his head injury for those feelings, but as Dr. Brahm already seemed knowledgeable about the fact he was sent in there mostly for formality sakes, he can at least try to have himself believe that he’s not already totally gone on the little nurse.

“Mr. Barn- er, Bucky!” Steve smiles, his cheeks going pink as he looks up at Bucky. “Here’s your discharge papers, the exit is out to your left and through the double doors.” He pauses for a second, almost as if he were about to add something, but fumbles.

“Thanks, Steve,” Bucky smiles, wide and genuine. “Still on for the diner? I know it won’t have shrimp on the menu, but you fit the bill plenty on that already.”

“If only beefcake was an option,” Steve deadpans, the hint of mirth in his eyes betraying his flat expression. “Then you’d maybe be able to be something I’d enjoy tonight.”

The double entendre did not fail to make Bucky’s smile turn into a cheeky smirk. Natasha clears her throat, and suddenly Bucky’s being tugged away to the exit with her voice carrying through the halls, telling Steve he’ll be back at ten to take him out as promised. He’s more giddy than he should be about this, but a date is something he didn’t think he would’ve gotten with someone who didn’t drop from one of his patented ‘Captain’ smiles.

It wasn’t going to be ten soon enough.


End file.
